Improved car-coupling



-s. MADDEN.

Car Coupling.

Patented Oct. 13, 1868.

when the movable bumper is forced tats/5 SAMUEL MADDEN, OF EUREKA SOUTH,CALIFORN I A;

Letters Patent N0. 82,966, dated October 13, 1868. I

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

'The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom 'it may concern,

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MADDEN, of Eureka South, county of Nevada,State of Galiibrnia, have invented an Improved Car-(louplin and I dohereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings aresutiicient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to whichit most nearly appcrtains to make and use my said invention orimprovements without further invention or experiment.

The nature of my invention is to provide an improved coupling forrail-cars, so constructed as to be self-acting, and avoid the danger ofbeing caught between the cars while connecting .them for the urposeofmaking up a train.

To accomplish this object, the bumper is rigidly attached to the end ofthe car, and has a flaring ovalshaped link-chamber, above which isplaced a second ary bumper, moving in a slide, back of which is a spiralspring, which causes it to project beyond the lower bumper. Twolongitudinal slots are made in the sliding bumper, which moves back andforth without distm'bing the pin. The pin passes through the slidingbumper, and -is provided with two collars, between which the sides oftlie slotmoves; the upper collar, when the pin is raised, being at thetop, and back in coupling, the pin. falls down, passing through thevertical opening in the lower part of the stationary bumper. The link isprovided with friction-rollers at each end, so that, as it enters thechamber of the bumper, it will always be right side up.

To more iiilly explain my invention, reference is had to the drawingsaccompanying this specification, and the letters marked thereon, ofwhich- Figure '1 is a side sectional view of my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspomlingparts in each of thefigures.

A is the stationary bumper, having ai'laring ovalshaped chamber. B.Vertical holes, U G, for the pin, are made near the end. The links areconstructed somewhat similar to the ordinary link, and havefriction-rollers, D, at each end, so that, as it enters the oval-shapedchamber of the stationary bumper, it will ,always be flatwise, or rightside up, for receiving the pin.

A movable bmnpenl is placed above the stationary bumper, which slidesback and forth on .ways. Back of this bumper is attached a spiral orother spring, l which receives the force when the cars are throwntogether, carrying the movable bumper back to near the end of thestationary onc,and when released it projects beyond the stationary orlinkbumper.

Longitudinal slots, G G, are made inthe sliding bumper, and when the pinis elevated, the sides of the slot G- move between the collars H H ofthe pin 1; and when the movable bumper is forced back suliiciently bythe action ofthe succeeding car, the pin drops down into an opening, J,at the end ol'thc slot, through the stationary bumper and link, and thecar is coupled, the lower collar, ll, of the pin resting on the top ofthe stationary bumper. The pin is prevented from moving laterally by astationary plate, K, attached to the front of thocar ahove the movablebumper. Thus the whole train may be made to selfcouple.

The train may be uncoupled by raising the pin, even if the movablebumper is not forced entirely back, but the pin cannot be raised to thetop of the sliding bumper until it is crowded back sufiicicntly to admitof the upper collar of the pin being raised through the opening at theend of the slot.

Having thus described my invention,

\Vhat 1' claim, and desire to. secure by Letters Patent, is I Thea1)ovc-descrihml combination and arrangement of devices to form anautomatic car-coupling, consisting of the sliding bumper l), with theslots (l and G, opening. J, and spring i the pin l, with collars ll andH, and the guiding-plate K, with or without the rollers I) at the end ofthe link, substantially as specified.

lnwitncss whereof, I have hereunto set my hand v and seal.

SAMUEL MADDEN. Witnesses J. L. Boom, GEO. H. STRONG.

